All I Ask Of You
by Janey90
Summary: "She told me that the love of my life would have green eyes, messy hair, a perfect smile and that he'd adore me instantly. Now as a last promise to her, I'm going to find him… and I will, no matter what it takes." ExB, AH.
1. The Notebook

A/N- So here's my second story, its going to be a little different to my other story being that its going to be a lot more fun, cute and romantic with virtually no angst/heartbreak. So if you're a romantic, this is for you! I will admit, this first chapter is a little sad, but don't let that mislead you, its going to be a lot happier from here.

Heres a general summary: Bella makes a promise, a promise that includes finding the man that was dreamed of by her best friend Alice. She knows what he'll look like but doesn't know anything else about him, but still finds herself determined to find him. She soon comes across a guy who fits the bill... but is he really the one? Or could it be someone else, someone who Bella couldn't ever picture herself with? After all, Alice knows best right...?

This is an all-human story, which will have Bella liking someone else for a little while, but don't worry its 100% an Edward/Bella story. I'm actually very excited to write out everything I have planned for our favourite pair. This story will all be in Bella's POV and is rated M for lemons that will take place a bit later on as well as occassional bad language.

The rest of the chapters will be longer then this, probably more then double the length. This was more of an introductory chapter to get things going. Next chapter will be up within the week... if people like this that is. Please take the time to let me know!

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"_You walked with me, footprints in the sand,  
__And helped me understand, where I'm going.  
__You walked with me, when I was all alone.  
__With so much unknown, along the way,  
__Then I heard you say…_

_I promise you, I'm always there,  
__When your heart is filled with sorrow and despair.  
__I'll carry you, when you need a friend,  
__You'll find my footprints in the sand." _

**ALL I ASK OF YOU.**

**CHAPTER ONE.**  
**THE NOTEBOOK.**

Someone wise had always told me, _'don't be afraid of life… live each moment as if its your last and don't worry about the consequences. Live, love, laugh and cherish and make sure that you focus on nothing but your happiness.'_

Those were the words of my very best friend… Alice Brandon. She'd said it one day while we sat in her back garden, enjoying the sun rays which so rarely appeared in the town we lived in. At the time I'd just playfully rolled my eyes at her, thinking she was just quoting another of her favourite movies, but from that day on she continued to repeat it, and even wrote it on the front of my notebook one day when I wasn't looking.

I was so mad at the time… the notebook was an expensive gift from my mother, who I didn't get to see often. However, I quickly found that Alice wasn't the type of person you could easily stay mad at. She'd always had this infectious personality, and everyone who she met always ended up liking her - including me.

She was my best friend… and in a life where I had only one parent to take care of me and no other friends she was everything to me.

I actually ended up giving her my notebook in the end so she could write more of her ramblings in there. Seeing her smile and obvious happiness as I gave it to her was a big reward and made me feel good for doing so. I always made sure to read what she wrote over her shoulder though, simply curious as to what she wanted it for in the first place. However, I soon began to notice that it was filled with ramblings and quotes, sometimes poems too. I also quickly discovered that the theme of everything she wrote was similar…

She always wrote about life, and how important it was to appreciate every single moment. She also wrote about love and all the things she wished she could achieve.

She'd always dream of all these things too, and would put every detail of her dreams in them. That was always the way she had been… she'd always been a dreamer as compared to my realist tendencies.

She was the one who would have been everything… the one who would have changed the world if she could.

However, in a cruel twist of fate which proves just how horrible this world can be - her life was cruelly taken away from her, before she even had a chance to achieve even one of those things.

_Before she even had a chance to live._

I didn't know whether to smile or cry as I read the words engraved into the white marble… on one hand it was so heartbreaking to see this stone here, as it confirmed the reality that she really was gone.

But the quote she'd insisted on having put into it was just so her… like I said, it almost make me want to smile, just a little bit.

It read…

Mary Alice Brandon,

July 29th 1991 - May 30th 2009.

"_Don't weep at my grave, for I am not there,  
I've a date with a butterfly, to dance in the air.  
I'll be singing in the sunshine, wild and free...  
Playing tag with the wind, while I'm waiting for thee."_

The poem was very sweet, and always made me feel a little better whenever I came here - because I knew she was okay.

She knew all along she was going to die - she'd always suffered with an aggressive form of cystic fibrosis, which unfortunately took her at the age of seventeen. It was the type that affected her lungs, making it hard for her to breathe.

She never complained about it though… despite always struggling with her breathing and always being sick. We'd been friends since we were five, but it did originally take me a while to really understand the implications of her illness.

She told me that she knew she wasn't going to have a long life, but didn't resent that fact at all. It wasn't like she could change it after all.

However as we grew older and she became more sick, it fully dawned on me… that she was going to die before she reached eighteen. I was about eleven when it fully hit, and wow, did it really hit me hard.

She was my best friend… all I had in this world. I just couldn't fathom the idea of being in this world without her in it. And ironically over time, it was me who ended up being the bitter one - I just couldn't fathom how it was fair that someone as wonderful as Alice would die before she really had a chance to live.

I was also scared of my life once she was gone… I'd relied on her for so long that I didn't know how I could live without her.

In fact, I actually became adamant that I wasn't going to really live without her. I had several college offers, but I decided that I wasn't going to accept any of them and that I would stay here with Charlie instead and just work at the diner or something. It just seemed like the best option… the thought of going to college was frightening, and I was certain that I wasn't going to be able to do it.

Plus, I just didn't think it was fair that I would be going to college and living a good life… while Alice didn't get to.

We got towards the end of our senior year and as Alice grew sicker, I prepared to reject my offers from the colleges. However, I got distracted from it when Alice had to go into hospital and instead found myself there most of the time.

It hurt to see her looking so sick… there were wires everywhere, and an oxygen mask permanently attached to her face. She also looked like a shadow of herself… she was very pale, and far too thin.

Again, I internally wondered how this was fair… and one day as I sat with her I ended up telling her about my plans to go not go to college. It just slipped out, and as I expected she angrily protested. I let it all go though, still adamant in my plans to go not go to college.

However, what she ended up saying next did surprise me… more then I've ever been surprised.

She wiped away the angry tears that had fallen down her cheeks, and turned to me with a desperate pleading look on her face. "You have to go… I want you to go and find him," she whispered.

"Find who, Ali?" I asked her, grasping her hand in my own, still sorry for causing her to cry.

"Him… the guy you're meant to be with," she told me.

At this point, I just assumed that the drugs were making her a little delirious, so didn't take what she was saying over seriously. "How am I going to do that huh?" I asked her softly, playing along.

"You have to go to Seattle… to the university of Washington, he'll be there," she insisted.

"How do you know that?" I asked her, suddenly finding myself more curious now.

"I've dreamt of it… of you and him together," she smiled.

"Oh yeah?" I murmured.

She nodded, "Yeah… do you want to know about him?"

"Sure," I agreed, noticing that she seemed happy to talk about this… the happiest she'd looked for a long time.

She closed her eyes and began explaining, "He'll have green eyes - really bright ones, and will have messy hair, you'll always wonder why he doesn't get it cut. He'll be tall and have a perfect smile of course. And he'll absolutely adore you… right from the first moment, but he might not tell you… as he's a little shy you see," she giggled.

"Oh right," I grinned, trying to picture this man she was talking about.

"Yeah… go and find him, please," she begged me, suddenly a lot more serious. She opened her eyes and looked right up at me, her blue eyes boring into my brown ones.

I bit my lip, suddenly uncomfortable, "I… I'm not sure Ali, I've already decided that I don't want to go to college…" I began explaining.

But she cut me off, suddenly urgent, "Promise me, please. You will be so happy if you go there and find him - so, so happy. And all I want is for you to be happy, and not sad."

"Alice…" I sighed.

"Promise me," she begged, her eyes filling with tears, "please."

"Okay… I promise," I agreed.

"Thank you," she relaxed against the pillows, "Oh, by the way I've got something for you."

She reached out and pulled something off the table next to her bed and handed it to me. My eyes widened when I realised it was my notebook I had given to her a while ago.

"Why are you giving me this? It's yours," I asked, trying to hand it back to her.

"Not anymore," she shook her head as she pushed it towards me, "please, I want you to have it back."

"Okay," I sighed, knowing there was no point in arguing with her.

"Thank you," she smiled, "now make sure to read it sometime after I've gone… I've put some things in there for you."

"Details of more of your psychic dreams?" I teased.

"Of course," she giggled, "now go for it… go and live for both of us, and please, don't be sad."

"How can I not?" I sighed, suddenly depressed again.

"Because I'm not," she smiled softly, "I'm going to be free soon… and I'm okay with it."

"You're so brave," I murmured, squeezing her hand gently.

"So are you," she replied, causing me to instantly disagree, "don't roll your eyes at me! You've just got to go out there and discover just how brave you are. Go out there and do everything, don't be scared, and go and make friends… and find him."

"I will," I whispered as I leant down so my head was resting next to hers. I closed my eyes and tried to picture this man she was talking about… but I only came up blank at the moment, not having any idea at all of who she'd pictured.

"_I promise I will…" _

She died two days later… the doctors said that it was peaceful - that she died in her sleep and wouldn't have felt any pain. Admittedly, it did make me feel a little better to know that she didn't suffer too much.

But it still didn't take away my pain.

For days I just laid in my room, unwilling to move from my bed. Charlie came in to check on me and bring me food a couple of times a day, but soon learnt to leave me alone… so I could grieve.

I did go to her funeral though, but I honestly couldn't remember any details from it… I was in such a catatonic state that I didn't notice anything or anyone around me. I also made sure to hold my emotions in until I was back in the seclusion of my room, when I then went and let it all out.

I then spent a couple more days in my bed, alternating between crying and sleeping, before deciding it was time to do something productive… which was getting in touch with the colleges to tell them I wanted to reject the offers.

However, as I climbed out of my bed ready to go downstairs for the first time in days something on my bedside table caught my eye… it was the notebook that Alice had given back to me.

I remembered that I told her I'd read what she wrote in it sometime, so decided to do it now, knowing that contacting the colleges could wait a little longer.

So I sat back down with the book on my lap and slowly opened it, feeling my eyes widen with tears as I saw the picture taped on the first page. It was a picture of me and Alice from around about a year ago, taken on that day in the back garden. The sun was shining in it, causing us both to squint slightly against the bright light, but both of us still had matching wide smiles on our faces as we clung on to each other for the picture.

I smiled as I remembered her asking Charlie to take this picture for us, and then her stubborn refusal to show me it. It was clear all along what she was planning.

I flicked through the pages noticing that the whole book was dedicated to me… all the quotes I'd seen her write about living and loving were all there because that was what she was asking me to do.

And as I continued through the book, my idea of rejecting all the colleges suddenly didn't sound so good… because it was clear that she really didn't want me to waste my life here. She was selfless like that - she genuinely wanted me to be happy.

And then I flicked through to the final couple of pages which were all dedicated to me… and him.

She wrote about all the things she'd told me about this guy, such as the color of his eyes, but she also wrote about how happy he would make me.

One quote that stood out in particular was this… _'It will be that kind of love where you'll miss him and he'll miss you even before you part, and where you'll never get tired of hearing each others voices. And the sound of each others voice… will send chills down your spine, and where you'll see each others smiles the second you close your eyes.' _

The final page was her telling me how much she loved me, that I was her best friend… the sister she'd never had. I then realised that if it were the other way round, I would want her to be happy too, and I would want her to go and live her life as happily as she could.

That was when I made my decision… and I rung the University of Washington to officially confirm my place studying English literature there.

That was two months ago… and now I sat here in front of her gravestone taking one final look at it before I left for Seattle. My bags were packed and in my truck ready to go - I was ready to go - but I just had to see her one last time.

I placed the daffodils I'd bought her on the ground as I stood to my feet. I wiped away my tears, sad that I couldn't really think of anything to say.

Apart from - "goodbye, Alice. I love you and I miss you."

I took one last lingering look at the gravestone before turning and walking away, feeling like I was leaving a part of myself behind.

But it was okay… I was just doing what she'd asked of me.

She told me that the love of my life would have green eyes, messy hair, a perfect smile and that he'd adore me instantly. Now as a last promise to her, I'm going to find him… and I will, no matter what it takes.

I would do it… because I'd promised her I would.

However, I didn't know at that moment what that decision would lead too… and that it really would end up being the best and worst decision of my life.

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Review for a teaser of the next chapter!

I hope whoever reads this likes it, please do let me know what you think and if its worth continuing. If people do like it then the next chapter should be up very soon!

For teasers and hints as to whats coming follow me on twitter: janey_90  
Would love to get chatting to you all!

Thanks for reading!


	2. The Stranger

A/N- Wow! I was so overwhelmed by the amazing response to the first chapter! Another huge thanks to everyone who reviewed, hope you all liked the teaser. There was several people who I wasn't able to reply to, but that was only because they were either anonymous or the private messaging feature was disabled. So if you didn't get a reply from me, that's why.

I'm going to be keeping the updating day to Mondays, like I've done with this chapter, but if I ever manage to finish a chapter early I'll post it up early. Thats just to let people know :)

Please bare in mind that I'm not actually from the US, so if I get a couple of small details or spellings wrong, please try to overlook them? It's only fiction after all.

Also because I forgot to do it in the first chapter, here's my disclaimer for the whole story - All characters belong to Stephanie Meyer, not me. I'm not making any money out of them, I'm just having a little fun with them.

Anyway, here's the second chapter, hope you all like it. Please review!

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_"The candles they are burning,_  
_And we are always learning,_  
_Heaven you are watching from above,_  
_Angel wings wrap me in your _  
_We are marching on and on, oh marching,_  
_And we grow weary some days._

_Carry me back to where I started from,_  
_Carry me back to what I've always known, _  
_Carry me back to my my troubles away,_  
_Love is on the way, love is on the way."_

**ALL I ASK OF YOU.**

**CHAPTER TWO.**  
**THE STRANGER.**

I didn't really know what to expect from the University of Washington… I'd never seen it before. In fact I'd never actually made the time to go and see any colleges, I'd always been too distracted in other things going on.

Admittedly, Alice and I had always planned to go and see some places including this one, but that was before she… well, became more sick.

But when coming here became a reality, I began panicking about the fact that I had never seen what it was like.

What if I got here and hated it?

What if it really wasn't the place for me?

What if I didn't fit in?

When I had thought of college, I had naively imagined a slightly bigger version of high school. But with some dorms and a couple more buildings added in of course. However, a search of the colleges website and a look at their pictures quickly proved otherwise.

This was going to be totally different to what I was used too. Like stepping into a completely different world… back in Fork's, I was known by everyone, and recognised everyone who I saw. But here in Seattle, the big city… well, it was going to hard to make an impact on anyone's lives here that's for sure.

But it would all be worth it in the end… Alice said that _he_ would be here, so even if I had no one else, just so long as I found him everything would be fine.

That was all I told myself as I crossed the large courtyard trying to find my way to the dorms. I was already slightly overwhelmed just seeing the huge hoards of people walking past, or sitting on the benches with their friends.

My hands began to shake as I noticed all the different types of people, and wondered to myself how I was ever going to stand a chance of fitting in here. There was nothing special about me… why would anyone want to get to know me?

I'd only ever had one friend in my life, and that friend… _my Alice… _was gone.

But now looking at all the crowds of people here, who seemed like they'd all already made their friends, I wondered how was I ever going to have the confidence to try to fit in with these people?

I came to an abrupt stop, and began looking all around myself, at all the people, the buildings, and suddenly felt very small and out of place. I noticed a couple of girls looking at me curiously, and then found myself getting paranoid that _everyone_ was looking and wondering what this strange small town girl was doing here… in such a big place like this.

I found myself begin to shake as I continued to look at everyone and felt a horrible sick feeling take over me, like I was going to end up bringing up my breakfast right here, in the middle of the courtyard with everyone watching me.

And then I realised…

_I can't do this. _

And then I wondered…

_What was I thinking coming here?_

Suddenly, I found myself turning round, heading back towards the comfort of my truck which was parked in the car lot. I decided that I would just go and sit in there for a while before I was ready to try again, maybe I just needed a moment to calm down.

However as I turned I found myself colliding with someone, sending all the documents I was carrying flying and causing me to stumble too.

However, the person gently grabbed hold of my upper arms steadying me and pulling me upright, stopping my stumble from becoming a fall.

Once I had finally got my balance, I felt myself begin to blush furiously as I quickly bent down to scoop up the paper I had dropped, "I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going. I shouldn't have-"

But a smooth, musical voice interrupted my ramblings, "It's okay, I shouldn't have been walking so fast."

It was then that I finally looked up at him, and was shocked speechless.

This man was so, so beautiful… but a little intimidating. He was tall - over six foot - and despite his kind voice, the rest of him didn't seem to match. He was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, and black sunglasses to match. His hair was an unusual color, between red and brown, and looked like it hadn't been washed in a while.

Although… despite all of this, he was very beautiful. I knew that wasn't the type of word you use to describe a man, but there was no other word for him - it seemed like everything about him was perfect.

"You don't need to apologise, it wasn't your fault," - I eventually whispered, a little nervous to be talking to someone as good looking as him - "like I said, I'm sorry."

I turned to walk away but his hand gently grabbed my elbow stopping me, "Hey, wait, where are you going?"

I was confused as to why he was so curious but answered his question nonetheless, "Erm… just to get the keys for my room," I mumbled.

"Oh, you just got here then?" he asked, surprised, "classes start this afternoon after all."

"Erm, yeah," I replied, "I guess I just wasn't ready to move in until now."

"Bit of a late starter then?" he smiled.

"Something like that," I shrugged, half smiling, "anyway, I'd better get going."

I prepared to leave, but he spoke once again, stopping me.

"Wait… what's your name?" he asked me gently.

"It's Bella," I told him softly, turning around to look at him again.

"Bella," he whispered softly, almost as if he was trying out the way it sounded. He was silent for a while as a soft smile slowly grew across his face, causing me to wish for one moment I wish I could see him without the sunglasses on… I wanted to see what his eyes were like. I was sure they would be as perfect as the rest as him.

He was still smiling at me as he began talking again, "It's nice to meet you, I'm-"

However, he was interrupted by a ringing of a phone, he looked startled for a moment before realising it was his. He pulled it out of his pocket and rolled his eyes when he glanced at the screen, and prepared to cancel out of it.

But I quickly placed my hand on his arm to stop him, "No, its okay, I've got to get going, I'll, erm… see you around," I told him in a hurry.

He opened his mouth to say something but I turned and walked away, giving him a little wave and a smile over my shoulder when I was several feet away. I hoped he wouldn't be offended by my quick exit as I had nothing against him at all… I just needed to go and get my keys so I could get up to my dorm that was all.

However, once I had gotten my keys and was heading up to my room with several of my bags, I realised that without really knowing, he'd actually helped me. Through our short conversation he'd proved that sometimes it was easy to talk to someone you had just met.

_Who knew, huh?_

Not to mention, he'd stopped me from running back to my truck and had therefore lead me to where I am now… collecting my keys ready to go and move into my new home.

_Alice… you'd told me about the man I would love, but how come you'd never seen anything about the tall, dark, handsome stranger who'd unknowingly helped me?_

Sadly, I knew I probably wouldn't come across him again, this campus was a big place after all. The likelihood of seeing him was very low, considering there were thousands of students and just the university itself seemed like the size of a town.

It's a shame, because maybe we could have been friends, but now I'm just left regretting the fact that I never got to hear what his name was.

EBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEB

Several hours later I was pretty much all moved in, apart from a couple of boxes I had yet to unpack. Luckily I wasn't the type of person who owned a lot of stuff, so it only took a few trips down to my truck to get everything I needed.

I had also been to collect my timetable, and found out that my first class was this afternoon. It all just seemed very overwhelming at the moment… after having a very slow, calm life so far, everything suddenly seemed to be happening so fast.

It was probably better that way though… because then I didn't have to spend so much time thinking, or remembering.

Once I'd finished unpacking, I decided to just spend a little time relaxing before I had to find my way to my English class… which I knew was going to be a mission in itself considering the size of the campus. I'd made sure to ring Charlie to let him know I'd made it here okay, which he was happy about.

He was so proud of me for doing this… especially after telling him just a few months ago that I was staying in Fork's, which was something he wasn't happy about. He had always told me that he wanted me to go out and have a good life, and not be stuck in the small town like he was.

I'd also made the effort to text Renee as well, because even though we hadn't talked in a while - not since before Alice died - she was technically still my mother, and I wanted to make sure she knew what was going on in my life, just in case she decided she was interested.

Once I'd got that done, I just sat back on my bed, looking around, still in disbelief that I was actually here. It had been a long day already, what with a four hour drive plus all the unpacking, but I had done it. It seemed so surreal that I was actually doing this, and left me wondering when I would wake up, and be back in my home in Fork's, not surprised that all of this was a dream.

However, I wasn't in my room in Fork's, I was here.

I looked around, once again impressed by this place. My room was about the size I imagined it to be and had a great view being that it was on the third floor. However, there was one downside and that was that I had a roommate. I still hadn't met her yet, and if I was honest I was a little nervous too do so. I mean I was going to be sharing this room with her for a year… I just hoped we somewhat got along.

Just so long as she was somewhat nice, and didn't spend her time being a bitch I would be okay.

Yeah… the girls back in Fork's really had made me paranoid. Perhaps bitch was a harsh term, not for them of course, but for the roommate I was yet to meet.

There was a group of three girls back at school who made it their lives mission to make everyone else miserable, and to make themselves feel like they had more power. Not to mention that they were superficial with their fake tans and bleached blond hair. Alice always used to call them the plastics, in reference to that _Mean Girls _film we'd once watched on one of our many sleepovers. It was one of Alice's favourite films, which she'd actually dedicated a whole page to in the notebook.

I'd had a look at it earlier and laughed at the funny ones, before wiping away a couple stray tears.

I missed her so, so much.

So much that it physically hurt.

Who was going to stick up for me if someone decided to make it their life's mission to make me miserable?

Who was going to make me feel better with their funny, sweet comments whenever I was down?

Who was going to tell me that there was no need to be self conscious in front of anyone, because I was fine the way I was?

No one… that was the answer. Sure, I had her notebook and although that was a greater help to me then she ever could have imagined, it still wasn't the same.

But it was all I had.

So as an attempt to somehow feel closer to her, I was currently reading through the last couple of pages of the notebook - these were the pages I had re-read time and time again, because they were written in her own words as if she were actually talking to me, and were all about how she wanted me to be happy and how _he_ was the key to that happiness.

It seemed insane that I was so certain of this and that I had actually fully listened to Alice, believing her when she told me that he was here. I hadn't told anyone else about it for fear that they might cart me straight off to the psychiatric ward, but for me… it just made sense.

It was a promise I made, that I had no intention of breaking.

But as I read through her description of him again, I noticed that she'd put that I would find him sooner then I could possibly expect. How soon could that be?

Today or tomorrow?

Or maybe next week?

Or possibly next month or later then that?

I sure did wish she could have put exactly how I would meet him, although up until this point I had assumed it would through a class or something, as she did specifically tell me he would be here at the college.

My guess was that even she didn't know.

There was no way to know if her dreams would come true and I would actually find him, but I had to try… because this was the only thing that was giving me hope at the moment.

It was the only thing keeping me here, and the only thing stopping me from giving up on everything.

EBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEB

I don't know what point it was that I fell asleep, all I knew what that one minute I was awake reading through the notebook and the next I was being jolted awake by the sound of a door shutting.

I blinked several times, a little disorientated, and yawned embarrassingly loud, just as my eyes focused in on two people standing in my doorway.

One of them was a pretty girl, possibly my age, who had dark hair and slightly tanned skin. She was currently looking at me with a curious, almost amused smile as she pushed her glasses up her nose.

The girl next to her however, well she looked like she belonged on the cover of a magazine. She was young too, but looked a couple of years older then the girl next to her, and was tall, blonde, and well… beautiful. I felt myself beginning to feel extremely plain as I looked at her, and self conscious.

However, she only looked back at me with the same sort of expression as the other girl, which helped lessen my nerves a little bit. For her expression was actually quite friendly, although I could tell that she didn't know whether to laugh at me or not.

I quickly patted down my hair, hoping it didn't look too much like a haystack and stood up off of my bed to face them.

"Hi," I offered them my friendliest smile. "I'm Bella… do you, I mean is one of you two living here?"

"Yeah, that would be me," the dark haired girl smiled, "I'm Angela."

"Hi Angela," I grinned, holding my hand out to her, hoping she wouldn't notice how it was shaking slightly.

"Hi Bella," she replied, reaching out and shaking my hand, before surprisingly pulling me into a warm hug. "I'm so glad you're finally here! I thought I was _never_ going to get a roommate."

She hugged me for several seconds, before pulling away, suddenly looking very shy. "Sorry about that, I got a bit excited there, I just wanted a roommate badly, so got a little worried when no one turned up," she shrugged apologetically.

I only smiled though, "yeah, sorry about the late arrival, I just, erm…" I trailed off, not sure what to say.

"Did something happen?" she asked, concerned.

"No, no, everything's fine, I just… I got a little nervous about college I guess, so delayed coming here by a couple of days," I replied shakily.

"Oh, I see," she nodded, understanding.

I smiled, pleased at this so far as I felt my nerves slowly begin to fade away. Luckily it seemed like my roommate wasn't a bitch like I was afraid of. She seemed really friendly, perhaps a little too excitable, but that was nice. It kind of reminded me of Alice in a way.

Just thinking of Alice's name caused another stab of pain to go through me, but before I had time to lose myself in my grief once again, Angela spoke up.

"I've got an idea, we should hang out tonight! Maybe watch some movies, get a pizza? Would be a good chance to get to know each other a bit as roomies," she suggested.

"Sounds good," I replied enthusiastically, "I would like that."

"Great," she grinned, before turning around to look at her friend, "Rose, you in?"

"Sure, why not?" she replied, smiling as she turned to look at me. "Sorry, I haven't introduced myself yet, I'm Rosalie… Rosalie Hale."

"Hi," I smiled, raising my hand in a half wave, not really knowing what else to do.

Angela was the one to break the silence by giggling, "Wait, shouldn't you be saying Cullen, Rose?" she asked.

"Not yet," Rosalie shook her head, laughing along with Angela.

I frowned in confusion, trying to figure out what they meant.

Angela was the first to notice my confusion, "Rosalie just got engaged," she told me.

"Engaged?" I asked, surprised. "That's so…"

"Grown up?" Rosalie offered for me, before nodding in agreement, "I know, married at the age of twenty is pretty strange… but it just feels right, you know? Me and my boyfriend Emmett have been together for over four years now and want to move in together, so we decided it was time."

"Wow, that's great, congratulations," I whispered sincerely.

"Thank you," she smiled.

I smiled back at her, before noticing the ring on her left hand, "Is that your engagement ring there?" I asked, wondering how I hadn't noticed it before - it was huge.

"Yeah it is," she replied, holding her hand out so I could see it up close, "what do you think?"

"It's… beautiful," I told her gently, as I took it in. it wasn't really my taste as such and wouldn't be the type of ring I would want if I got engaged, but somehow it really suited her. Judging by the look of it though, it must have cost a lot of money. "You're really lucky," I told her wistfully.

"I am," she agreed, "I'll have to introduce you to Emmett sometime, I think you would like him."

"And his brothers," Angela added, grinning.

"Oh yeah," Rosalie agreed with her, "you'll love them too."

"I have a feeling that a certain one of them would _definitely_ be interested in getting to know Bella," Angela commented.

"He would, we'll have to introduce them sometime," Rosalie replied.

"Erm, girls, mind talking to me, and not as if I'm not here?" I smiled at them, letting them know I was only teasing.

They both looked at each other and then back at me before bursting into laughter. I was incredibly confused, before I eventually found myself joining in with them, finding that the sound of laughter was just too infectious not too.

It had been such a long time since I'd last properly laughed, long before I lost my Alice… it had actually got the point that I didn't even know I had it in me.

Who knew it would be my new roommate and her friend to finally get it out of me?

We all quietened down after about a minute or so, and Angela stepped towards me to place her arm around my shoulder.

"You know what? We like you already, Bella," she told me, "welcome to the crazy life."

EBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEB

It was only a mere hour and a half later that I found myself ready to take another huge step - a step that was both exciting and terrifying at the same time.

It was time for my first class here.

Being that Rosalie was in her third year here, she knew the campus pretty much off by heart, so she jumped at the opportunity to show me where my first class was. I knew that if it wasn't for her, I was of course incredibly grateful knowing that I would still be wandering around campus completely lost if I hadn't had her help.

She left me at the door of my class, promising to see me later. I'd thanked her repeatedly, before telling her I was looking forward to this evening - to our girls night.

I knew that the smile hadn't left my face since I'd first met her and Angela… I was just so happy and relieved that things were going so well so far… and so much better then I'd ever expected them to. All the people I had come across so far had been so welcoming, that it was almost too good to be true. I was pretty much expecting something to go wrong as some point, it was something I'd come to expect in my life.

But I was just going to enjoy the happiness while I could… for as long as it lasted. That was all I could do after all.

I was one of the first to my class, which I was grateful of, as it meant I had first choice of where I wanted to sit. I ended up choosing a seat that about half way back and the centre of the row, figuring this would give me the best view.

Once I was sat down I just relaxed and watched everyone else begin to enter and make their way to their seats. I noticed that most of them entered in groups, having somehow made friends with each other before this class had even begun.

I shifted uncomfortably and clutched the notebook tighter to myself, wanting some sort of reassurance from Alice right now. I closed my eyes and wished that I could somehow talk to her again, just for a minute or two.

She would know exactly what to say, reassuring me that it was okay that I had laughed with Angela and Rosalie, because she wanted me to be happy. And then she would tell me to just be confident and to be myself… and make an impact in this class because this was what I wanted to do with my life.

I knew that was what she would have said, but somehow it didn't reassure me this time.

Because I needed to actually hear her say it.

I needed to hear her talk, or to actually see her and hear her laugh. Just a reminder that I wasn't alone - I would never be alone.

I just needed something… just a sign to show that she was still here with me…

And then, someone spoke.

"Hey, is this seat taken?"

I jumped at the sound of the deep voice, and opened my eyes looking up slightly at the person now standing next to me.

"No, erm, its free," I replied, knowing there was no way I could say no.

"Do you mind if I sit here then?" he asked me.

I nodded, and he took that as enough of an answer and quickly sat down next to me.

I finally decided then to turn and look who this person was, and what he was like. So I turned in my seat, ready to introduce myself, only to find that all the breath left my body as my brown eyes met bright green ones.

* * *

Review for a teaser of the next chapter!

It would be brilliant to match the first chapters reviews! So, feel free to ask me any questions, I will answer them all... within reason of course ;)

Also, feel free to follow me on Twitter if you want: janey_90

Thanks for reading!


	3. The Brothers

A/N- Hi there, just want to say a huge thank you again for all your lovely reviews! I'm so grateful for the support this is getting, fingers crossed people continue to like it!

Anyway keeping this AN short, the end one is a little bit longer though if you want to read it. Here's chapter three, really hope this doesn't disappoint. Please let me know what you think!

* * *

"_So much is happening to me.  
__So much that I can't even see.  
__So many words of wisdom that I am trying to be.  
__Catch me if I should fall.  
__And even more so while I'm standing tall. _

_My head is spinning around and it's making me dizzy.  
__I'm spinning around and it's making me ill.  
__You don't understand what I'm going through just to find a way to climb.  
__It'll be in my own time.  
__It'll be in my own time."_

**ALL I ASK OF YOU.**

**CHAPTER THREE.**  
**THE BROTHERS**.

I was frozen as he turned in his seat to smile at me, completely stunned because of what I had just seen.

Could it be…?

No, Bella, shut up! Don't be insane… there's no way it would be that easy.

… _Or wouldn't it?_

The logical side of me was yelling at myself to stop being a crazy person - he was probably just someone who would sit next to me and be of no real relevance, perhaps we would talk a couple of times, say hello, but that would most probably be it. Just because he had green eyes and fitted the appearance side of the description Alice had given me, didn't mean that it was him.

There's no way I could ever find him in my first class at college, that was too soon, far too soon.

Although… Alice had said that I would meet him sooner then I could possibly expect…

So maybe, just maybe… was it possible?

For he completely fitted the description Alice had given me…

For his guy next to me… he had green eyes, a perfect smile, and was very tall. And he had messy hair, perhaps not in the way I had imagined, but it was messy nonetheless. It was blonde and long, almost to his chin and was slightly wavy. Admittedly, I wasn't a big fan of the style… but that was another thing Alice had said. She had told me that I would always wonder why he didn't get it cut… which was exactly what I was thinking.

He turned to me in that moment, smiling when he noticed me staring at me. "Hi, I'm Jasper."

"Bella," I replied, "Wow, Jasper, huh? That a… erm, interesting name." I remarked, offhandedly.

"I know, my parents liked the idea of giving me an old fashioned name," he chuckled, "you should hear my brothers names."

"Go on," I smiled, interested.

"Well, my oldest brothers called Emmett," he told me.

"Emmett?" I asked - hadn't Rosalie said her fiancées name was Emmett? Was it the same Emmett by any chance?

"Yeah," he nodded, before I could ask him if he knew her, "and my other brother is called Edward. Which is possibly the most old fashioned out of the lot, just like him I suppose."

"I like that name," I remarked. It was definitely my favourite out of the three.

"Really?" he asked, surprised.

"It's classic… different," I replied, shrugging.

At my comment his smile grew and he leant towards me, "Oh yeah? What about Jasper?"

"Erm… it's the same as Edward, it's different," I offered, smiling back at him.

"Hmm," he nodded, seeming satisfied with my reply, "where are you from, Bella?"

"Forks," I replied instantly, "it's a small town about four hours from here, ever heard of it?"

He only shrugged though, shaking his head. It was no surprise to me really… no one had heard of Fork's apart from the people who had the misfortune of living there.

So, to carry on the conversation I decided to repeat the question to him - "Where are you from then?"

"Well, we - me and my family - are originally from Chicago, but we moved to Seattle a couple of years ago," he replied.

"Wow, so you've actually lived here a while?" I asked, surprised.

"Yeah," he nodded.

"That must help, I mean it's a little daunting for me… being here in such a big city when I'm from such a small town." I told him, before mentally berating myself for saying something like that, "god, I'm such a cliché aren't I?" I groaned.

"Nah, I think you're cute," Jasper chuckled from beside me, reaching out to cover my hand in his, "you know, I could always show you around, show you the best places to go in the city…" he trailed off, suggestively.

"Really? That would be great," I replied enthusiastically.

Jasper was another one of those people who were easy to talk to, I actually found myself wanting to carry on conversation. However, I couldn't really think of anything to say, and apparently neither did he as we were quiet from that point on. His hand still rested on top of mine though, which reassured me a little bit that he was interested.

And then I remembered another thing Alice had said…

'_He'll absolutely adore you… right from the first moment, but he might not tell you… as he's a little shy you see.'_

The first part didn't seem true, but the second part made sense. Perhaps the reason he had gone quiet because he was shy like me?

Once this class ended I planned to go back and read through the pages once again, just to see if there was anything I had missed. There was no proof whatsoever that Jasper was the one Alice had meant, but there were too many coincidences to ignore.

He just fitted her descriptions so perfectly…

Jasper turned back towards me, a smile on his face. "So, Bella, how about-"

But he was interrupted by someone stepping up to the seat next to him. They dropped their bag down on the floor, before sitting down on the seat with a thud, as if standing was too much of an effort.

I frowned at the interruption and looked over to see who it was, my eyes widening when I realised it was the stranger from earlier… the guy I had bumped into in the courtyard. He was still in his black hooded sweatshirt, and his glasses.

Jasper looked over at him and chuckled, "still hung over, Ed? What the hell did you drink last night?"

"I can't even remember," he mumbled in response, his head thrown back.

I wonder if he had noticed me yet, it certainly seemed like he hadn't, but maybe he was just choosing to ignore me after running off on him earlier.

"Nice one, bro," Jasper grinned, "what's with the glasses?"

I realised then that he, my stranger from earlier was called Edward and he was also Jasper's brother that he'd previously mentioned just a minute ago. I knew that this was such a huge coincidence, that there was no way that it _wasn't _fate. It was further evidence that Jasper could be the one that Alice meant, because I was always somehow destined to meet him, whether it was through Edward or not.

"They block out the light," Edward eventually replied to Jasper.

"Wow, you _are_ in a bad state," Jasper laughed before turning back to him.

"Shut up, least I know how to have fun," Edward mumbled.

"Yeah, if fun means turning up to your first college class hung over and looking like you've just been dragged here through a haystack, sign me up right now," I muttered under my breath, rolling my eyes.

However, when I turned to look back at Jasper to ask him something and found out that both of them were staring at me, I realised that they'd both heard my comment. I bit my lip, embarrassed, but luckily Jasper's surprised expression slowly turned into a wide smile, before he began laughing loudly.

"You know what? I think I love you already, Bella," he told me, wrapping his arm around my shoulders as he continued to shake with laughter.

I smiled at him, pleased that my comment went down well and secretly thrilled at the compliment, when I remembered that Edward was still there, the other side of Jasper. I slowly looked over at him only to see him staring at me with an indescribable expression. Which was something that caused me to wish once again that he wasn't wearing those damn glasses… I so badly wanted to see his eyes, just to show me what he was really feeling in that moment.

"Hi again," I smiled shyly at him, not knowing whether or not he wanted me to talk to him.

Luckily for me, a soft smile grew across his face, replacing the previous expression. It lit up his face, making him look even more perfect, if such a thing were even possible.

"Hi Bella," he whispered gently.

By now Jasper had stopped laughing and looked in between us, "wait, do you two know each other?" he asked.

"We met earlier today," Edward replied, still smiling. I wasn't sure whether he was looking at me or Jasper, but judging by how his head was turned in my direction I assumed it was still at me.

I felt myself beginning to blush under his gaze.

"Yeah, I kind of bumped into him," I eventually added.

"Oh, I see… well that's cool," Jasper replied, enthusiastically. I didn't fail to notice that his arm still remained around my shoulder, and that it tightened slightly as he spoke.

He turned so he was facing my direction more and lowered his voice slightly, "So, Bella, as I was saying before - did you want to hang out after class today?"

My eyes widened in surprise… he wanted to spend time with me today? With me? Boring old Bella Swan?

Was I dreaming or hallucinating or something?

"Er, sure," I replied, "I can only hang out for a couple of hours though, I've got a girls night planned with my roommate."

"That's fine," he smiled, "how about we go and get coffee something like that? It will give us a chance to chat and get to know each other."

"Sounds good," I agreed, smiling. That didn't sound out of my depth at all - coffee I could handle. It was a start and a chance to see what Jasper was really like, and whether I could see him as a friend or maybe something else… something more.

Jasper smiled at me, removing his arm from around my shoulders, but immediately reaching out to cover my hand in his again.

The professor came in then so there wasn't a chance to talk anymore. It didn't bother me though, and instead I just relaxed and focused on what was being taught. I had been looking forward to this moment for a while after all, English had always been my favourite subject even in school, and was what I planned to somehow use in my life.

However, as Jasper continued to hold my hand throughout the class, I could have sworn I felt someone watching us… or rather, watching me.

But every time I looked up to see who it was, I never failed to notice that Edward was looking in my direction, the unreadable expression from before always present on his face.

The hour passed incredibly fast with Jasper by my side, holding my hand throughout the entire class. The class itself was just as amazing as I expected it to be, although I found that I already had an essay to write, which wasn't exactly the most thrilling thing in the world - not like I was going to complain though.

Once the professor told us we were free to leave, Jasper immediately stood pulling me up with him. I then followed him down the aisle, carefully watching where I was going, not wanting to embarrass myself anymore today.

Jasper had already made it down the stairs and was heading towards the exit as I approached the final couple of steps, so I decided to move a little faster to catch him up, thinking that it was safe to do so. However to my horror, I stumbled on the last step, twisting my ankle slightly.

But someone gently grabbed hold of my elbow, righting me before it could turn into a complete fall.

I looked up, stunned to see that it was Edward who had caught me… _again._

"Sorry, I'm not always this clumsy I swear," I mumbled, embarrassed and a little shaky.

"It's okay, I don't mind catching you," Edward smiled at me.

We stepped to the side to let everyone else pass and that was when I noticed that his hand was still on my elbow. He looked down, seeming like he was also noticing the same, but instead of letting go, he let his fingers gently trail down my arm until they were brushing my hand ever so gently.

The feel of his warm fingers softly touching my palm felt so good, that all I wanted to do was clutch his hand in mine, and intertwine our fingers, so I could really know if the rest of his skin was so soft…

"Bella, you coming?"

The sound of my name being called by Jasper caused me to jump, making me realise that I had been staring down at our hands for a while.

I looked over at Jasper standing by the door, an almost impatient expression on his face, and turned back to Edward who was looking at me.

"So, I guess I'll see you later then?" I asked him, almost reluctant to leave.

"Sure," he whispered, slowly pulling his hand away from mine, "goodbye, Bella."

I smiled at him one last time before turning and making my way over to Jasper, who smiled when I reached him, throwing his arm around my shoulder and pulling me along with him, as he talked about this great café he wanted to show me. He said it served the best brownies in the world or something like that.

I wasn't exactly sure what it was he said… I was too distracted with thinking about what had just happened back there.

And as we walked forwards down the corridor, I had to fight hard to resist the urge to look over my shoulder… just to see if Edward was still watching me.

EBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEB

Surprisingly, mine and Jasper's hour together went really well. He actually took me into part of the city so I could see part of it, before taking me into the cutest little café, which was exactly the type of place I loved and could see myself in.

And he was right… they really did serve the best brownies in the world.

As it turned out, Jasper was a really great guy, and we got on really well. I found out more about his home life, and loads of things about him. And he also found out a lot about me too, although I didn't mention a certain person… but knew that was a conversation I wanted to have at a different time, and perhaps not in such a crowded place.

Alice actually hadn't left my mind the whole hour… I kept wondering if she would be proud of me, for being this bold and not being scared. This was what she said she wanted after all, so I just hoped that I wasn't disappointing her.

I also kept thinking about just how well she would fit in here… I knew that she would have really liked Angela, Rosalie and Jasper, and that they would have liked her back.

They probably would have loved her, like how I did.

I thought about her a lot, thinking all those things, but most of all I allowed myself to really miss her… just like how I always did.

Every minute of every hour of every day.

But I was doing this for her… I just had to keep reminding myself of that whenever I felt myself getting sad and wishing she was here.

When I had to head back to the dorms, Jasper offered to walk me back, which I accepted, glad for the company. When we got back we exchanged cell numbers, and he offered to meet me here tomorrow morning so he could walk me to my next class.

I happily accepted, thrilled by his enthusiasm to see me… never had a guy paid this much attention to me before, and it was just hitting me how much I liked it. It was a great feeling, one of the best feelings in the world.

He kissed me on the cheek as he left, promising to be here at 9 sharp tomorrow, and I found myself watching him as he walked away. He really was a great person, who I could possibly see myself getting close too. For starters he was really funny and caring, and not to mention interesting too… he was so intelligent that I found myself always fascinated by what he was telling me.

Not to mention he was really handsome… perhaps not my usual type, but still handsome nonetheless.

After standing out in my dorm hall for a minute or two composing myself, I let myself in, and got myself started on my essay. Well, at least that's what I planned to do, but I actually ended up reading Alice's notebook once again.

And as I read it, I mentally related each of the points to Jasper, smiling as I noticed that like I suspected - he fit every category.

And soon I found myself lying down thinking about him… and surprisingly, I also thought about Edward.

It surprised me that he and Jasper were brothers, as they seemed so different, in personality and in looks. Both of them were really lovely and charming though, and I couldn't believe my luck that I had actually had the opportunity to meet them.

Although, despite everything that had happened today and despite my time spent with Jasper, my mind couldn't help but wonder back to what had happened between me and Edward… it was really, really strange, but also really nice too. It was certainly more intense then anything that had happened between me and Jasper, that was for sure.

But before I had time to really think about what that meant, Angela and Rosalie arrived home, completely laden with junk food that included ice cream, pizza and popcorn.

I smiled, relieved for the distraction from my thoughts and went and joined them. And like I expected, we ended up having a really great night, completely filled with watching chick flick films, eating the junk food they'd bought, and chatting about anything and everything, like we'd been lifelong friends.

Despite my temptation, I decided to not tell them about Jasper just yet, but planned to do so soon. Perhaps I could mention him to Rosalie first, being that she was engaged to his other brother, Emmett. Maybe she could tell me a little more about him, and what he was like.

It was around midnight that Rosalie passed out asleep, or as Angela referred to it - in a _'sugar coma,' _but me and Angela still remained awake. We were curled up on the sofa with Rosalie in between us, her head resting on Angela's lap and her legs resting on mine.

Angela was giggling at Rosalie's snoring while I found myself laughing at the whole situation.

Once Angela had stopped laughing at Rose, she turned to me, a grin on her face. "So Bella, what did you think of your first day here then?"

"It's been great," I shrugged, "even better then I thought it would be."

"That's good," she smiled, "you know tonight was really fun, we should do it again sometime."

"Tomorrow night?" I suggested.

"Perfect!" she agreed, "You know what, Bella? I think I'm going to love having you as my roommate!"

I smiled at her, repeating the sentiment. I was so incredibly lucky to have someone as nice and fun as her as my roommate. It already seemed like we'd been friends for a long time instead of just knowing her for a day.

Lately it seemed like things were going well in my life, today was evidence of that, but at the back of my mind I remembered that I was also very unlucky… because of what I had lost.

It was silent for a while, with only the sound of Rosalie's snoring making any noise in the darkness, before Angela turned to me, a curious look on her face.

"Can I ask you something, Bella?" she asked softly.

"Sure, what is it?" I replied.

She looked at me, taking a deep breath before asking, "Why did you _really _come here… to college so late?"

* * *

Review for a teaser of chapter four!

Hope you weren't all too disappointed that it wasn't Edward next to her. Please bare in mind this is 100% an Edward/Bella story, the whole point it her realising that he could be the one that Alice meant all along. There won't be too much Jasper/Bella I promise. I hope this chapter gave a good hint of whats coming, with a lot of sweet Edward and confused Bella. It will be VERY romantic and fun though, I swear, so please stick with me.

Please review! It would be amazing to match the last chapters total. Pretty please?

Follow me on Twitter: janey_90

Thanks for reading!


	4. The Dream

A/N- Hi..? Remember me? Remember this story? Sorry its taken so long to get a chapter out... I do have my reasons though. There's no way I would just stop writing out of lazyness because believe me when I say that I love ff and I love this story. I won't go into much detail, but lets just say, I've had a few family related problems, a couple of other really sad things which have put me off of coming on here, and recently started a new full time job a month ago which is really tiring as I start everyday at 5.30am and work for 8/9 hours. However, everything is all sorted now. I'm used to my new routine and ready to properly work on this story. I promise there will never be such a long gap between updates again.

Feel free to hate on me or chase me with pitchforks or something if I break that promise though, haha.

Anyway, here's chapter four. Hope you like it. Please let me know if you do... and if you're still interested in this story. I really hope so!

* * *

_"It's been drivin' me mad,_  
_Consistent tones and constant drones,_  
_Keep pulling me back inside my head._  
_Nothing matters at all,_  
_The world will keep on spinning round,_  
_All these feelings keep on pouring out._  
_Oh, how I love you,_  
_Oh, how I need you._

_And I want you to know,_  
_Won't let you down,_  
_No, I can't let go._  
_And I want you to see,_  
_Every day I wear my heart on my sleeve,_  
_On my sleeve."_

**ALL I ASK OF YOU.**

**CHAPTER FOUR.**  
**THE DREAM.**

"_Everything happens for a reason." _

For a while I just considered not answering her question, or perhaps just continuing to insist that my first answer was the truth. I was only late here because I was running late when it came to packing and getting organised.

But when I looked over at her, I realised something… why should I not tell people about Alice? What have I got to hide?

I wanted to be Angela's friend and I wanted her to be mine, so I didn't want to lie to her. Besides, it was inevitable that she would end up finding out eventually anyway.

Besides, Rosalie was asleep, I could start here with just telling Angela… it was no big deal.

The only problem was that just the thought of Alice made my eyes fill with tears… would I really be able to talk about her?

I knew that I had to try.

"I came here late because I wasn't sure if I wanted to come," I eventually whispered.

"Oh no, why not? Was it nerves?" she asked.

"No," I shook my head, "it was because… my friend… my best friend…"

"Did she go somewhere else?" Angela interrupted softly.

"She died in June," I replied.

"Oh no…" she gasped, her eyes wide and apologetic, "I'm so sorry, Bella."

"Yeah," I nodded, "And I didn't think it was right that I could go to college and have a good life when she isn't going to be able to, you know?"

"What made you change your mind?" she asked curiously.

"Her," I replied simply, "Before she died she told me that she wants me to live for the two of us, she actually made me promise to do so. However, when she died I wasn't sure if I could actually do it, and it took a lot of convincing and soul searching for me to pluck up the courage to actually come here."

"But you did it," she smiled. "And it sounds like she would be really happy for you."

"Yeah, I think she would, that's what she was like," I agreed, "Doesn't stop me from feeling guilty though, you know? It's just not fair."

"Life isn't fair but you know what? I've always believed that everything happens for a reason, maybe just maybe… there is a reason for this," she suggested softly.

"I'm not sure about that," I shook my head, trying not to think of the notebook. "I can't think of a good reason for her to die… there's no justice in it whatsoever."

Angela nodded, seeming thoughtful, "How did she die?"

"Cystic fibrosis," I replied.

"So it wasn't a freak accident then? She knew she was going to die?" she asked, seeming surprised.

"Yeah," I nodded.

"That's really sad," she murmured, "can you tell me about her?"

And so, I went on to tell her a lot of things, finding that it all came out easily once I had started talking. I told her about the day I met Alice, back in the first day of school, and how I'd been scared, but Alice had been the one to come over asking if I wanted to sit next to her.

I told her some things about what Alice was like… that she was so fun, free spirited, a little eccentric with short, spiky hair and different styles of outfits each day.

I told her about how we hated living in Fork's and always dreamed of moving out of there when we graduated. And how I had always believed Alice was going to live longer… because she was so strong. I even bought her an amazing eighteenth birthday present and planned lots of things, because I never considered the idea that she would die before… two weeks before.

"I miss her so much," I told her, "She's on my mind all the time, I find it a little easier when I'm busy or surrounded by people. But when I'm alone - and lying awake at night - that's when its toughest, as she wasn't just my best friend… she was my sister, and all I had really. I just can't imagine this pain ever getting any easier… and I don't want it to, because this pain is a reminder of her. I don't want to forget anything."

"You won't," Angela assured me, "if you don't want to forget, then you won't."

"I hope not," I murmured, "it would be heartbreaking if it got to the point that I couldn't remember things about her."

"I know what you mean," she whispered, "my dad died when I was really young, so young that I don't really remember him so it doesn't hurt thinking about him. But I kind of wish that I did you know? I would gladly take the pain if it meant that I'd actually had the opportunity to know him."

I could see what she was saying, and realised that was the way I felt too… feeling this pain was much better then feeling nothing but never having the opportunity to know Alice.

But Angela's confession also reminded me that I wasn't alone… people lost people they loved every single day. It was a very sad and horrible, but very real part of life.

"I'm sorry, Ang," I told her.

She shook her head though, "Don't be, like I said I was only young, just five years old, it's a long time ago."

I nodded, not really knowing what to say.

It was silent for a while before she leant forward, looking back at me again. "All I can suggest is, do everything you can to remember her, keep pictures you've got, write down special memories, but also make sure you don't dwell on it. Yeah, its okay to wallow or grieve of course it is, but don't lose yourself in it. Make sure you do what she's asked you to do."

"I am, I'm here aren't I?" I attempted to smile.

"But you're not happy… I can see it in how tired and sad you look," she told me, "you need to just focus on being happy and not on how guilty you feel for being here when she isn't."

"Ouch," I muttered, smiling at her, knowing deep down that she was right. "Yeah, I know what you mean, and thank you so much for the advice and for listening. It's nice to actually be able to talk about it you know?"

"Yeah, I understand," she smiled. "And its no problem, what are friends for?"

I smiled back and after that we both relaxed, not feeling the need to talk much more after that. I knew that I had done the right thing in telling Angela about Alice… she was a really nice person and like she said, a friend.

And she spoke so much sense… her words kept rolling round in my mind for the rest of the evening, especially the one that she'd murmured so off-handidly.

That everything happens for a reason.

I kept that in my mind as we sat watching movies as Rosalie still lay there sleeping, completely unaware of everything me and Angela had just talked about.

EBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEB

When I eventually went to bed, I found that it was very hard to relax and get to sleep. In fact, I think I spent more of the time tossing and turning, counting to 100 in my head over and over again, and staring at the patterns in the ceiling.

There was far too much going on in my head to fall asleep easily.

However, extreme tiredness eventually gave way to my insomnia and I managed to fall asleep in the early hours. And when I did, it was a very unusual dream that greeted me.

I was in my own body not looking down on myself, and I was in a small room, one which had no windows and white walls which were closing in on me. I screamed to get out, when suddenly there were tons of people in the room with me… they were all people I didn't recognise, but were all staring at me and were whispering comments under their breath, horrible ones of course.

I was shaking and everything was becoming blurry, but suddenly things began to calm down again. People turned away from me and stepped back giving me some space, and the walls expanded, making the room much larger.

And when I turned around I came face to face with Alice.

She was beautiful of course, and she was smiling at me.

And then she whispered…

"_Don't worry, just breath._

_If its meant to be, it will find its way."_

Suddenly she disappeared, leaving me there calling her name, causing everyone to turn and look at me once again. They stared for a while, when suddenly there was a break in the crowds - they all moved so that there were two clear pathways.

And at the end of them were two doors, leading me out of the room.

And Jasper was at one, which wasn't shocking to me. But what was really surprising was that Edward was at the other one. I didn't understand why exactly, but I couldn't help but feel comforted by the soft smile on his face and his hand which was outstretched towards me, he had his sunglasses on again, but he still had the most beautiful expression which made me smile myself.

I looked over towards Jasper who held the exact same pose, only his expression was a lot more intense then Edward. He wasn't smiling, but still looked happy enough, and was beckoning me to him.

I glanced back over at Edward who was still smiling, and then back at Jasper, not knowing which the right door to take was. I took one step forward, and lifted my foot ready to take my next step which would determine my direction, when suddenly the dream came to an abrupt end.

I groaned as my eyes opened to the sight of my alarm clock telling it was 7 am and felt very annoyed with the interruption to my dream, now I was never going to know how it was going to end… and who I would have gone to.

I assumed it was Jasper who I went towards, as I did of course have my suspicions that he was the one from Alice's descriptions, but I don't know… something about the way Edward was looking at me in the dream was sticking in my mind.

It was so sweet - the smile on his face - certainly so much sweeter then the way Jasper was looking at me.

But there and again I had to remember that it was just a dream - a small, insignificant dream caused by everything that had happened the day before. It didn't mean anything whatsoever and was just my crazy mind getting confused about things.

I should forget about it and focus on today, not dwell on what had already happened, or in this case, hadn't.

Yesterday was already long gone, but today was a new day.

EBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEB

And just like how I'd hoped, the following days went really well.

Jasper had met me at my door to walk me to class just like he'd promised, and on the walk there we'd had a good talk, finding out more about each other in the process.

I'd enjoyed my classes that day too, admittedly they weren't as good as my English class… but that was to be expected.

The weekend followed after that day, and although I didn't get the chance to see Jasper much as he was spending some time with his family, I did get to spend some more time with Angela.

However, Jasper surprised me by turning up on Sunday afternoon, asking me if I wanted to explore the city a bit more, which of course I was thrilled by. Even though I had spent the day there on Saturday with Angela, I was happy with the opportunity to spend more time with Jasper.

And we had a great time, of course.

Although… I did admittedly find myself getting a little bored of the museums he kept insisting on taking me too, seeing as they weren't really the kind of places I was interested in. I didn't really focus on the things he was showing me, but instead just focused on getting to know him… and I couldn't deny that I loved his company.

He was so clever, and that showed through in how he would talk about things. He was very philosophical, and would always see things in a different way to me.

_He reminded me of Alice._

She had the exact same way of thinking as he did as she would always surprise me with what she said - she was never predictable, and always said the most unexpected comments. I knew if she was still here that they would have gotten on very well, although knowing Alice there's no way she would have spent her time in museums… she probably would have had him carrying her bags as they went around the best fashion stores, spending more money then I spend on food… a year.

Perhaps that's why I liked Jasper so much so quickly… because he reminded me of her.

And as the afternoon went on my mind once again drifted back to what Alice had said about me finding _'him' _as well as going over in my head how Jasper fitted all of the criteria she had described.

And I knew it was so very unlikely… but it had to be the case.

He was the one Alice was talking about… the one for me.

It just had to be him.

So when he walked me hand in hand back to my door at the end of the day, kissed me on the cheek again and asked me if I wanted to go on a date with him on Friday - six days from now - I didn't hesitate in saying yes.

It is what Alice wanted after all.

EBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEB

Monday morning bought with it a 9am class… something that wasn't easy to wake up for, considering the fact that I wasn't back until late the night before.

It was creative writing, so in other words a class I was _very_ excited for.

I made sure to set my alarm extra early so I had plenty of time, which proved to be a good decision as I was one of the first ones there. So, once again I had the choice of where to sit. I made a vow to myself to always get to class early for that reason - it would be awful to be stuck at the back, unable to hear everything.

I made myself comfortable as the class quickly filled up. And soon someone approached my row, clearly debating whether or not to sit next to me.

I didn't look at them but jumped in surprise when they spoke -

"Hi, Bella."

I looked up to see Edward smiling down at me.

I blinked in surprise before saying hi back, this was such déjà vu from Friday… seriously what were the odds?

Seems like fate REALLY wanted me to be friends with Edward Cullen.

It wasn't something I was going to argue with.

He quickly moved to sit next to me and I frowned when I caught sight of those oh-so-familiar sunglasses. Was it too much to ask for to want to actually see someone's eyes when you're talking to them?

He made small talk asking how I was, how my weekend had been and whether I was enjoying it here yet. I replied politely asking him the same questions in return, before it went quiet for several moments

"So you and Jasper are getting on well then," he commented off-handidly, breaking the short silence.

"How do you know that?" I asked, before mentally slapping myself - of course he'd know, he was his brother.

_Duh, Bella._

"He hasn't stopped talking about you all weekend," Edward replied.

"Oh really? Wow…" I whispered, before nodding, "yeah, I like him a lot."

"That's good," he murmured, his tone suddenly dry and flat, almost like he didn't agree with what he was saying.

I frowned, why was he acting like this? Did he not like me? Didn't he think I was good enough to be dating Jasper?

"Yeah, it is," I eventually replied quietly, a little put off talking to him again.

He looked over at me then, his expression completely unreadable, and opened his mouth to say something else but I got in there first.

"Why the sunglasses again? _Still_ hung over?" I teased, trying to lighten the mood a little bit. For some reason, I hated the idea of him not liking me.

The corner of his mouth twitched like he was fighting a smile, "Not exactly… I need to wait for my black eye to fade."

"Oh… right," I replied, surprised.

His expression quickly turned worried, and he shook his head, "It's not what it sounds like… I haven't been fighting with anyone or anything. Just wrong place at the wrong time," he told me.

"Its nothing to be ashamed of, it's just a bruise," I shrugged, trying to make it seem like it wasn't a big deal.

"I know, but I don't want people to think the wrong thing of me, you know?" he murmured.

"I'm sure they wouldn't," I argued, before adding quietly, "I wouldn't have."

He was quiet for a moment, his head turned in my direction, giving me the impression he was looking at me. He held that pose for several seconds before shaking his head and smiling.

"You know what, you're right. I don't need these," he agreed as he reached up and pulled them off, revealing his whole face to me for the first time.

He then turned towards me and like a magnet my eyes immediately took in the sight of the bruise he was talking about… it looked pretty painful I will admit. It was very dark and as well as surrounding the corner of his eye it also spread across the side of his face and slightly down his cheek.

My hand twitched with the desire to reach up and gently brush my fingers across his cheek in the hope that it would give him some comfort, but I forced my palm closed, knowing how inappropriate that would be.

Not to mention, he would probably just laugh at me for it.

So I turned my attention away from the bruise and finally took in the sight of his whole face.

And wow… he was even more handsome then I thought possible… he was beautiful.

Perfection.

And he had the most beautiful emerald green eyes I had ever seen.

* * *

So what do you all think? Like it? Hate it?

Next chapter will be ALL E/B. Hope that sounds appealing.

I'm not going to ask for a certain amount of reviews... I just hope you're all still here thats all, just that knowledge will be enough.

Thanks for reading!


	5. The Mystery

_A/N- Hello! Not sure if anyone's going to remember this story, but I am back and working hard on this so just putting this chapter up to see if people are still around/interested. _

* * *

_"He drowns in his dreams, _  
_An exquisite extreme, I know. _  
_He's as damned as he seems, _  
_And more heaven than a heart could hold. _

_And If I tried to save him… _  
_My whole world could cave in. _  
_It just ain't right, _  
_Lord it just ain't right. _

_And I don't know, I don't know what he's after… _  
_But he's so beautiful, _  
_He's such a beautiful disaster. _  
_And if I could hold on, _  
_Through the tears and the laughter, _  
_Lord would it be beautiful, _  
_Or just a beautiful disaster."_

Previously..

So I turned my attention away from the bruise and finally took in the sight of his whole face.

And wow… he was even more handsome then I thought possible… he was beautiful.

Perfection.

And he had the most beautiful emerald green eyes I had ever seen.

**ALL I ASK OF YOU.**

**CHAPTER FIVE.  
****THE MYSTERY.**

I was aware that I had been staring for far too long at him, but somehow… I just couldn't find the strength to look away. He met my gaze easily, rarely even blinking as his green eyes looked into my own brown ones.

"That's better," I eventually replied, smiling at him.

It was safe to say that what I had just said was the biggest understatement of the century so far. It was _so_ much better to finally see all of him. Before with those sunglasses, he was hiding a big part of himself. He gave himself a mysterious, almost intimidating look. But now… well, he was just different somehow.

He still had the bruise on his face, and was wearing a leather bikers jacket which gave me the hint that he was quite a bold person.

But his eyes… they made him look so gentle and kind.

He really was a mystery.

"My gruesome bruise hasn't freaked you out?" he asked softly.

"No," I replied honestly.

He smiled then, and it was so beautiful. "Good… that's good," he whispered.

I blushed then and ducked my head, causing my hair to fall so it was framing my face.

I didn't know why he was having this effect on me… I had talked to attractive guys before, I'd sat next to them before, hell, I'd even spent the day with one yesterday.

But I'd never been affected like this before.

Maybe it was because I felt nervous around him, because he was so beautiful and I was so plain in comparison. Maybe it was because he wasn't the type of person I really talked too.

Or maybe just maybe it was because there was _something_ about him, something I couldn't quite put my finger on yet.

Something that I was determined to figure out though.

EBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEB

We mostly remained silent throughout the entire class, not speaking unless we needed to discuss something for class. I kept my eyes forward, focusing on the class - although I did feel Edward's eyes on me often, almost like he wanted to say something to me.

He never did though.

Eventually the professor announced that the class was over, and we all got up, making casual chat as we made our way out the room.

However, I was packing away my belongings into my bag, I noticed Edward was lingering.

"Hey, do have another class now?" he asked softly once I was ready to go.

I thought for a moment, "Erm, no, I have an hour free."

"Cool, do you want to go for a walk?"

"Yeah," I smiled at him, answering instantly.

He smiled back, and lead the way outside, me walking beside him in silence. He manoeuvred the halls easily, seeming like he already knew his way around this huge place, whereas I knew if it was up to me to show him the way out, we would probably end up back where we started.

It was bright and sunny outside in the courtyard. Without thinking, I took my cardigan off and tied it around my waist, leaving my arms bare. I also closed my eyes briefly, turning my head up towards the sky, just appreciating the warm rays of the sun.

When I turned my head to look back at Edward I found he was looking at me, a sweet, crooked smile on his face.

"What?" I smiled.

"Please tell me your not one of those sun worshippers?" he asked.

I shook my head, "Not really, but having spent all my life growing up in the Pacific Northwest I do appreciate the occasional day of sun."

"Me too," he nodded, before looking over at me, "your hair looks red in the sunlight did you know that?"

Yes. Alice used to tell me that.

"Someone used to say that to me, I hope it doesn't look bad," I frowned.

"No, its… nice," he replied smiling.

I blushed slightly under his gaze, finding I had to look away or the blush would become embarrassingly obvious to him, "So where are we going then?" I asked.

"Wherever," he shrugged, still grinning.

"Ok," I replied.

To be honest, I was still in shock that he voluntarily wanted to spend time with me - it was him leading the way in this, and it was a big surprise for me. I had always thought myself uninteresting, so it was nice to find out that perhaps I wasn't.

All this attention for new friends really wasn't unwelcome though, it fact it was more then welcome. It was a real compliment to me that people like Edward wanted to be my friend.

We spent the next hour or so walking around campus side by side. We just chatted generally as if we were lifelong friends, not as if we had only just met each other a few days ago.

I told him about my fears of clowns, and my weird like of chocolate and cream cheese together. While he admitted that he's terrified of spiders - but made me promise not tell anyone because apparently in his words, it is 'terribly un-cool' for a guy to be scared of something like that - and that his favourite food is strawberries.

He did blush after telling me that last part, which was also incredibly cute to see, but he never admitted to me _why_ he blushed.

I told him about my dreams of being a writer while he talked about his dreams of being a musician, even though all his father wants for him and his brothers is to be become doctors, even though he liked music, his other brother Emmett liked sport and Jasper liked history.

Time just seemed to pass quickly, and even though we weren't doing much I realised this was probably the most fun I'd had since I'd arrived here.

Eventually we stopped walking and just ended up sitting on a bench just overlooking the courtyard as we talked. Although we were sitting side by side we both ended up turning to face each other as we began embarrassing stories of our childhood.

All of his stories seemed to involve his older brother Emmett, who I had to admit sounded like a really funny guy.

I hoped I would get to meet him too someday.

I did wonder idly if it would bother Jasper that I was spending time with his brother - but then I realised there's no way it would. Although I couldn't help but notice that Edward seemed to avoid mentioning Jasper's name. All of his stories he told me seemed to be ones that didn't include him.

Perhaps it was just a coincidence though.

Eventually Edward changed the subject away from our childhood stories, reminding me of where I was. "Hey, we're going to be throwing a party in my block next Friday, do you want to come?"

"A party?" I asked, surprised.

"Yeah, just a get together you know? A few drinks, a bit of music, a chance to get to know some more people on campus." He replied, pausing for a moment before murmuring, "It would be great if you could come."

It then hit me that I had never been to a party like that. Sure, I had been to birthday parties when I was young - Alice used to have one every single year - but I had never been to one of these type of parties.

But with Edward sitting opposite me, looking beautiful in the sunlight with a hopeful expression on his face, I suddenly knew that I really, really wanted to go.

"Uh, yeah, sure, I would love too."

"Great," he grinned, "could I have your number, maybe so I could text you where to come?

"Sure," I whispered, reading out my number so he could enter it in his phone. I giggled when he insisted on taking a picture of me to put in his contacts, and posed for a moment as he took it.

He smiled, but refused to show me the picture, causing me to feel worried that it would be a horrible picture of me. I reached out and tried to take his phone to have a look at it, but he refused to give it over. We both laughed as it turned into a bit of a tug of war between us as we both fought to get hold of the phone.

But then I suddenly realised something, and found my laughter abruptly cutting off.

"Wait, when did you say the party was again?" I asked him.

"Next Friday," he replied.

Friday… _Friday…_

Why did that sound so familiar?

And then it hit me.

"Oh…"

"What? You're not busy are you?" Edward frowned.

I nodded, "Yeah, sort of, I have a date with Jasper."

"With Jasper? Seriously?"

"Yeah," I replied, a little surprised at his reaction.

"Oh, I see, well, forget it then," he murmured, pulling away from me to put distance between us.

I frowned, a little confused and a little hurt. I had no idea why this was bothering him so much.

All I knew in that moment was that I really hated seeing this despondent side of him, so immediately tried to backtrack, wanting the sweet, happier side of him back again.

"No wait, I could always re-arrange that? So maybe me and him could go out on the Saturday instead?" I suggested.

"Sure," he shrugged, still not looking at me.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

He finally looked up, and the expression on his face was just unreadable, "I just… I don't know about you and Jasper, I just don't think you should be with him."

"Why not? Am I not good enough for him or something?" I asked, a little angry now.

"No, more the other way around," he replied, not put off my angry tone. Instead, his voice grew even softer as he spoke, "you're just so beautiful, so lovely, I can't believe my brother got there first."

"Oh, well…" I breathed.

I wondered if I should just tell him about what Alice had said. About how I had to try to be with Jasper as he was the one for me. The one who would save me.

I tried to speak to say that, or to say something, but just couldn't find the words to come out. Instead, I wanted to see what he was going to do next, what he was going to say.

I knew it was wrong, but I couldn't move right now even if I wanted to.

He edged closer then, and his hand reached up, brushing through my hair. He eyes followed his hand, watching as they moved down through the curls, before he reached up to ever so gently tuck the curl behind my ear.

And then with his fingertips, he so softly stroked my cheek, running his thumb soothingly along my jaw as he did so.

I couldn't breathe. I couldn't move.

I was stuck in this moment, with him.

He then began leaning closer then, so close I could feel his sweet breath on my face.

And as he closed in, he began to speak again, "Bella, I…"

"_EDDIE!"_

Both me and Edward jumped at the interruption and turned at the same time to see a beautiful, strawberry blonde girl running towards us. It seemed like Edward had barely any time to react before she launched herself at him, nearly knocking him back of the bench in her force.

"EDDIE! It's SO good to see you!" she squealed.

"Err, hi," Edward replied, breathless as he manoeuvred out of her gasp, "what are you doing here? I thought you'd moved back to New York?"

"Oh, I changed my mind about going back there. So I thought I'd come here and surprise you! You should have seen your face, Eddie!" she giggled.

"Please don't call me that," he mumbled under his breath.

She only laughed louder though.

"You're so funny," she told him, playfully hitting his shoulder, before turning her attention to me, seeming to finally notice that I was actually here. "Ew, who's this?"

Suddenly her expression didn't look so friendly. Instead it looked hostile as she looked over at me, one of her perfectly shaped eyebrows raised. Her face was so covered in make up; I had to wonder if it would crack. There was no denying she was beautiful, but right now her face was twisted into a very unfriendly expression, aimed only at me.

And then suddenly I realised… this Tanya girl must be Edward's girlfriend, and she was looking at me thinking I was going to make a move on him.

Not like that was likely now.

"This is Bella, my friend," Edward eventually replied, looking over at me apologetically.

_The apologetic expression was probably because he didn't know his girlfriend would appear._

"Hi," I mumbled, unable to look Tanya in the eye. "I'm just leaving."

Edward looked over at me surprised, "You don't have-"

"I have a class now," I interrupted him as I stood from the bench, lifting my bag back over my shoulder, "but it was erm, real nice meeting you Tanya."

"You too, Betty," she mumbled as she quickly jumped into the spot where I was sitting, before proceeding to place her hand on Edward's knee possessively.

"It's _Bella_," Edward corrected her sharply, before looking up at me, the apologetic expression still in place.

I only looked back at him blankly, both disappointed with him and annoyed at myself - annoyed at myself for falling for his tricks for one dumb moment. I knew that as soon as I walked away he would probably start laughing at me with his model girlfriend. Laughing at the pathetic girl who thought someone as gorgeous as him really could like me.

"Goodbye, Edward," I whispered.

I walked away, not looking back once, afraid of what I might see if I did turn. My breaths were coming fast, and I found that my chest actually hurt. So I placed my hand over my heart trying to calm its erratic, painful beat.

This was a brand new emotion, and I couldn't place it. All I knew was that it was horrible - the worst feeling in the world second to when I lost Alice - and it was consuming me, making it hard for me to even walk straight.

I didn't understand it… why should it matter if Edward has a girlfriend?

I have Jasper who likes me, who is the one Alice said I should be with. He was the perfect guy, the sort of person I really need. I didn't need Edward.

_So why was the thought of him with Tanya hurting me so much?_

* * *

_Next chapter = soon._


End file.
